The 7th of June, 1944 and 1970
My father beached at Normandy on the second day
(He was okay with having missed the first)
From there through France to Belgium in the mud
For a bloody Christmas in the icy Bulge
A Short Discourse on Friendship
One of those Ancient Greek philosophers – Aristotle, maybe – said that there were three types of friendship. Whatever he called them, I’m going to call them the Fun Friend, the Useful Friend and the True Friend.
Read MoreThis Homely Land
This massive land that I see
Spread from sea to shining sea
Is a very unique lot
It’s been called a melting pot…
Memorial Day 2021
Memorial Day is when we remember our friends
As they were…
Bubbles and Snowflakes: Thoughts on Vulnerability
Each of us has a place inside, deep inside our inmost being, hidden away from prying eyes and mocking words. It is a place of snowflakes and bubbles, of hopes and fears. It is a place in which one wrong move means catastrophe…
Read MoreA Brief Review of Cult of Glory: The Bold and Brutal History of the Texas Rangers
If today you find yourself in the company of Texas Rangers, no matter who you are, you know that truth and justice will prevail. But it was not always so, and that is the thesis of Doug J. Swanson’s disturbing but well-documented book, Cult of Glory: The Bold and Brutal History of the Texas Rangers.
Read MoreDaddyPaw’s Letters from the CCC Camp
He found his DaddyPaw’s young adulthood
In a box of letters from New Mexico
About fighting forest fires and building fence
To the stockyards at Magdalena
Daily Bread
“I want to fully partake in the experience that is being a Christian,” Nicanor 112 said.
“I thought you were already doing that. You’ve got your own Robo Church and everything.”
“I need the Lord’s Supper, Alexander.”
Color Me Crimson
As history’s mundane toil, and epic battles ensue
It’s clear no race is exempt
From ways that are imperfect, unkempt.
To God, Who Gives Joy
You still approach the Altar as a child
As you once were, and are, and will be forever
For God will have it so, will have you so –
Enchanted by His magic – a little boy
The Mangled Tree
She comes back almost every morning to pray aloud and silently beneath the tree. Sometimes, I hear a few words of The Lord’s Prayer carried by the wind to my ears. This must be her sacred space.
Read MoreAre You Ready?
The big V Vocation is our ultimate call to one of the three following categories; religious life, married life, or consecrated single life. In order for us to discover complete fulfillment in life, a desire with which each individual is born, we must open our hearts to God’s whisper.
Read MoreSquirrels Without End, Amen
Whenever I take my book to the front-yard oak
The squirrel stretched from the feeder to the trunk
Flees in a seed-strewn panic across the lawn
To a farther tree, free of human menace
Submissions Information Summer 2021: Acts of Charity- Spiritual Works of Mercy
The theme for the Spring 2021 issue is Evangelization. We want to know how you see it and do it in your church, in your life and in the lives of others?
Read MoreSpring 2021: Acts of Mercy: Spiritual Works of Mercy
Join us as we explore the Spiritual Works of Mercy. In these pages you will learn what the Seven Spiritual Works of Mercy are, what various denominations think of abortion and contraception, and the stories of some saints. You will also find a story about forgiveness, suggestions on correcting sinners, prayers, non-fiction, poetry, book and media recommendations, and puzzles, as well as our various views on war in Controversy Corner.
Read MoreArthur’s Song
It was at court our eyes first met,
Many others were there,
We had not spoken yet.
Though I conversed with others,
and from you stood apart,
Like foals to their mothers,
To you went my heart.
This Side of the Covid
Infections are up and deaths are ‘way down
Or is it that infections are down and deaths are up?
Schools must be closed and the restaurants open
Or schools must be open and restaurants closed…
My Dearest Ana
My dearest Ana,
You lied to and enslaved me
For which I bear animosity
Because of your “generosity”
My body has become an atrocity
Charity?
You were so thankful, and my friends
Were so proud of my gracious
Charity, seeing
I had aided
You…
Barney Fife! Thou Shouldst be Living at this Hour
Police chiefs are costumed as admirals these days
Or as generals, with medals and eagles and stars
Peaked caps and polished boots, more Patton than Patton
In stern command of parking-lot plywood lecterns
